On November 20th, Antonio Scatena, Laborator Manager and Cara Plese, Scientist at Gateway Analytical hosted a webinar designed for scientists working in the pharmaceutical industry. During this webinar, they discussed the advantages of using Raman analysis in conjunction with other analytical techniques, such as microscopy, SEM/EDS and FTIR in investigations to identify unknown materials. They discussed the sample types that are best suited for Raman analysis and tips on how to discover the best parameters to use for you investigation. They also discussed how Raman Analysis can be used to analyze inorganic materials, such as metal oxides, pigments and minerals which would typically not yield results with FTIR analysis.
For more details on the webinar, you can use the links below.
- View the webinar
- Download the presentation slides
We received questions from attendees during the Q&A segment, and you can find those questions and answers below. If you have any questions about this or any other topic, please contact us.
- How often is Raman used in your laboratory for routine analysis?
Raman is used very frequently in our laboratory for analysis; even with those one may consider “routine.” On its own, Raman spectroscopy is a very useful spectroscopic method. But in conjunction with FTIR (and SEM-EDS), Raman not only provides confirmation to the analysis, but possibly complementary chemical information that might have otherwise been undetected. - Do you recommend Raman as a critical laboratory instrument?
I certainly recommend a Raman spectroscopy instrument as a critical laboratory instrument. Our investigations quite often involve samples which are either considered inorganic in nature, or are complex mixtures, thereby possessing organic, inorganic and/or metallic regions. For the purposes of unknown material identification and source determination, one must employ a multi-analytical approach. In doing so, Raman is undoubtedly one critical spectroscopic tool a laboratory must have. - Have you encountered use of humidity cells for Raman and other microscopy studies of API’s hydration states?
Humidity cells are used to analyze samples in a controlled temperature environment. The cell consists of a type of oven which can be heated to specific temperatures within a range. The sample is placed into a special cuvette, which is placed into the humidity cell. Inert gas is also passed through the cell for temperature and humidity reasons. Humidity cells used in conjunction with Raman spectroscopy are useful tools for investigating hydration states and polymorphisms of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Our laboratory has employed Raman many times for polymorph identification, API agglomeration and ingredient-specific particle sizing (ISPS) studies with great success.